The Holidays just wouldn't be the same with out the help I get decorating  

and one decoration even moves around while the tree rotates. 

Back to the Beach

 

I like this one a lot and it was so easy 

 

 I made this using a empty ribbon spool for the center core

Christmas presants from years past on my mothers tree

 

I made this ornaments 20ish years ago

 This is an Ornement that came from a pre printed fabric 18ish years ago. I have a full set at my house this is one I gave my mother

 

Again I made this 20ish years ago

Photos of Lewis and Clark Campus in the snow

The Lewis and Clark campus an be very pretty at times even though I would rather it be smaller and easier to navigate.

Roman Style Bow Fibulae Broches & Penannular Brooches (Cloak Pins)

Roman style bow fibulae brooches were the first safety pins. They were used to hold clothes on. They are strong enough to be used as a cloak pin. I taught these as a basic beginners class on pins. we used hard brass wire and in one here I used a bead that I lamp worked

 http://www.uq.edu.au/antiquities/95-086a
 http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=phrygian%20fibula
 http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/196463
http://clioantiquities.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/roman-bronze-fibulae-brooches/
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections?ft=*&what=Fibulae

The second half of the class was penannular brooches (Cloak Pins) using copper wire and or hard brass wire. This style was common in the Viking era however these could be much more ornate or plain as this. These continued to be used in the Britain area though out medieval times.

http://www.metmuseum.org/search-results?ft=penannular&x=0&y=0

Medieval Wire Ring

 Here is a ring I taught in class this weekend at the Midrealm's first Fire Arts Symposium  {Barony of the Flame} [Vine Grove, KY].
It is based on a ring in the Antiquities collection of

see link below.

http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/429904

 http://finds.org.uk/database/images/image/id/317317

Anglo-Saxon

 Date from: Circa AD 550
Date to: Circa AD 800

 

What I find most interesting about the original find is that it is in square wire. I used cheep round German Silver plated copper wire for this one.

Here is a simpler, similar one that appears to be in round wire
http://finds.org.uk/database/images/image/id/43974

http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/73303

Coptic books and silver lamped worked rings

Well a last week a BAD storm came though and with wind sheers up to 100 miles per hour and lightning strikes we were with out power for 2 days and 2 nights. I used this time to catch up on some things I wanted to get done. I pulled out the blow torch and put glass beads on the ends of some silver coated wire then turned them into rings, and assembled some Coptic leather books using 100% cotton resume paper. Then I got a little fancy and make the smaller one with the bead closure (made by my Friend Dee Vargas who is a amazing bead artist.) and I used seed beads on the side binding just because. This has lead me to start a project to make 50 of these to be used as site tokens for your Barony's event this Sept "For Hands" I think I will use Blue thread and skip the seed beads though.
the books that are here and the rings were sent with Her Excellency Caroline de Mercier to Lillies War for her to distribute as she wishes. I believe her intent was for them to go to the musicians that perform at the Dance she hostess there.